Improved voltage regulation using fuzzy logic-based based static synchronous compensator controllers with stacked multi-cell multi-level inverter in modern power grids

The present paper puts forward a proposal for an advanced fuzzy logic controller to be integrated within a static synchronous compensator based on a stacked multi-cell multilevel inverter. The objective of this integration is to enhance dynamic voltage regulation and reactive power compensation in contemporary power distribution networks. The impetus for this research stems from the acknowledgement of the limitations of conventional control strategies, such as proportional-integral controllers, which exhibit suboptimal performance in nonlinear, disturbed, and uncertain operating conditions. The proposed static synchronous compensator system is modelled and simulated using MATLAB/Simulink, and its performance is evaluated under two disturbance scenarios: symmetrical source voltage dips and surges, and dynamic reactive load variations. A comparative analysis is conducted for three stacked multi-cell configurations (three-level, five-level, and seven-level). The simulation results demonstrate that increasing the number of voltage levels leads to a substantial enhancement in performance, achieving a significant reduction in total harmonic distortion from 1.06 % for the three-level configuration to 0.87 % for the seven-level configuration, while maintaining a dynamic response of less than 0.06 s and stable direct current link voltage regulation. The findings indicate that the integration of fuzzy logic control and multilevel stacked multi-cell-based static synchronous compensators constitutes a robust and efficient solution for improving power quality. • The use of fuzzy logic in STATCOM has been demonstrated to enhance dynamic voltage regulation. • The seven-level SMC converter has achieved a low THD of 0.87 %. • The enhanced transient response time (less than 0.06 s) is shown to have a positive impact on grid stability. • It is asserted that this provides an effective solution for modern smart grid integration.